Salon.com > rap musichttp://www.salon.com
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000enhourly1Rick Perry’s cartoon country/rap mashup: Is this ridiculous song the key to his campaign?http://www.salon.com/2015/06/05/rick_perrys_cartoon_countryrap_mashup_is_this_ridiculous_song_the_key_to_his_campaign/
http://www.salon.com/2015/06/05/rick_perrys_cartoon_countryrap_mashup_is_this_ridiculous_song_the_key_to_his_campaign/#commentsFri, 05 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000STimberghttp://www.salon.com/?p=13983431For a long time – almost 50 years now – the Republican Party had a solution to winning elections in a divided nation and especially in a region that had long been dominated by the other side. The “Southern Strategy” started going in the 1960s, but GOP strategist Lee Atwater described it perhaps most eloquently in 1981:

You start out in 1954 by saying, "N*gger, n*gger, n*gger." By 1968 you can't say "n*gger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "N*gger, n*gger."

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/06/05/rick_perrys_cartoon_countryrap_mashup_is_this_ridiculous_song_the_key_to_his_campaign/feed/12Bill Maher and “Killer” Mike unload on Bill O’Reilly: “He’s more full of sh*t than an outhouse!”http://www.salon.com/2015/05/16/bill_maher_and_killer_mike_unload_on_bill_oreilly_hes_more_full_of_sht_than_an_outhouse/
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/16/bill_maher_and_killer_mike_unload_on_bill_oreilly_hes_more_full_of_sht_than_an_outhouse/#commentsSat, 16 May 2015 12:15:00 +0000SKaufmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13967050sincere shit"]]>On "Real Time" last night, Bill Maher and "Killer" Mike Rendell discussed Bill O'Reilly's crusade against the secular "rap industry," which he claimed on Wednesday's episode of "The O'Reilly Factor" could lead to a Rome-like decline of American civilization.

"What do you think of Bill O'Reilly?" Maher asked Rendell.

"I like Bill O'Reilly the character," Rendell replied, "I hate that old white people take him so seriously. He's more full of shit than an outhouse!"

"I guarantee I'm going to go into a black club and see him with a stripper on his lap. He's as fictional as those books he writes," he added, referring to O'Reilly's bestselling books "Killing Lincoln," "Killing Kennedy," and "Killing Jesus."

"It's an act," Rendell said, suggesting that the "Bill O'Reilly" who hosts "The O'Reilly Factor" is as much a creation as the one Stephen Colbert based on him on "The Colbert Report."

Maher disagreed, saying "I know Bill -- that is not an act. He may be full of shit, but he's full of sincere shit. People really think that way!"

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/05/16/bill_maher_and_killer_mike_unload_on_bill_oreilly_hes_more_full_of_sht_than_an_outhouse/feed/4“Hellaware”: Art-world hipsters vs. rural juggalos in a trippy indie odysseyhttp://www.salon.com/2014/09/23/hellaware_art_world_hipsters_vs_rural_juggalos_in_a_trippy_indie_odyssey/
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/23/hellaware_art_world_hipsters_vs_rural_juggalos_in_a_trippy_indie_odyssey/#commentsTue, 23 Sep 2014 23:00:00 +0000Andrew O'Hehirhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13778978If it were literally possible to make a film with shoestrings, then Michael M. Bilandic’s “Hellaware,” a trippy, occasionally hilarious and oddly poignant Americana odyssey, might be that film. A former employee of Kim’s Video, the late, lamented emporium of offbeat cinema in New York’s East Village, Bilandic has made exactly the kind of movie the Kim’s crowd would cherish: ultra-cheap yet self-aware, both satirical and earnest, with a sting in its tail. You could even say that “Hellaware” has grand ambitions, of a certain tongue-in-cheek sort: This fable of NYC hipsters and exurban juggalos captures a fundamental split in American culture, with equal-opportunity ridicule.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/09/23/hellaware_art_world_hipsters_vs_rural_juggalos_in_a_trippy_indie_odyssey/feed/1Chris Pratt’s cover of Eminem’s “Forgot About Dre” is amazinghttp://www.salon.com/2014/08/05/chris_pratts_cover_of_eminems_forgot_about_dre_is_amazing/
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/05/chris_pratts_cover_of_eminems_forgot_about_dre_is_amazing/#commentsTue, 05 Aug 2014 15:59:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13741401Chris Pratt does not mess with that "white people dance shit" know as EDM. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star and expert hair-braider continued to endear himself to America when he rapped an incredible, spot-on rendition of Eminiem's "Forgot about Dre" on J Whoo Kid's "The Whoolywood Shuffle" program recently. Back when he lived in a van and smoked weed every day, you see, he listened to Dr. Dre's "The Chronic 2001," so he knows all the words to the album. Chris Pratt, you never cease to amaze us.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/08/05/chris_pratts_cover_of_eminems_forgot_about_dre_is_amazing/feed/4You will wish Emma Stone were a rapper after watching her lip-sync against Jimmy Fallonhttp://www.salon.com/2014/04/29/you_will_wish_emma_stone_were_a_rapper_after_watching_her_lip_sync_against_jimmy_fallon/
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/29/you_will_wish_emma_stone_were_a_rapper_after_watching_her_lip_sync_against_jimmy_fallon/#commentsTue, 29 Apr 2014 16:49:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13662651If actress Emma Stone ever gets tired of acting, she may have a career as a hype man for Ludacris. On Monday night's "Tonight Show," the actress brought her A-game to a lip-sync battle with Jimmy Fallon, who performed Iggy Azalea's "Fancy," and "Mr. Roboto" by Styx.

Stone saved the best for last, warming up with Blues Traveler's "Hook," then going all out, head banging and body-rocking to "All I Do Is Win," by DJ Khaled ft. Ludacris. She killed it.

Williams appeared on "The Tonight Show" to discuss his illustrious rap career with Fallon. "It's all anyone mentions to me anymore," Williams said about the viral videos, which are supercuts from his news coverage.

Williams, who has so far not been involved with the videos, wants to take some ownership of his budding musical career. "You've done this to me now seven times," he told Fallon. "I would like some pride of authorship. What about some early, pre-hearing loss Foxy Brown? What about some -- any Luda -- would be great. I'll do 'Rollout.'"

He's so good, apparently, that Cuba Gooding Jr. approached Williams at a Rangers game to tell him, "You are a huge figure in the rap and hip-hop community."

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/04/22/brian_williams_raps_gin_juice_discuss_his_illustrious_rap_career_with_jimmy_fallon/feed/0Jimmy Fallon and Anne Hathaway sing hip-hop songs like Broadway hitshttp://www.salon.com/2014/04/09/jimmy_fallon_and_anne_hathaway_sing_hip_hop_songs_like_broadway_hits/
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/09/jimmy_fallon_and_anne_hathaway_sing_hip_hop_songs_like_broadway_hits/#commentsWed, 09 Apr 2014 15:03:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13646890It appears as if Hollywood's "most polarizing star," Anne Hathaway, is ready to return to the spotlight after she suggested that people "needed a break" from her in January.

The "Les Miserables" actress is testing the waters on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," where the two performed hip-hop songs with a Broadway twist. Hathaway crooned the lyrics to Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice," 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe," while Fallon accompanied her on the piano.

The fun Fallon bit gave Hathaway some much-needed dimension, but will the songs be enough to win over the scores of Hathahaters? It depends on what Hathaway does next.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/04/09/jimmy_fallon_and_anne_hathaway_sing_hip_hop_songs_like_broadway_hits/feed/5Stream HBO’s “Game of Thrones” mixtape herehttp://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/stream_hbos_game_of_thrones_mixtape_here/
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/stream_hbos_game_of_thrones_mixtape_here/#commentsFri, 07 Mar 2014 17:12:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13619720In an odd but brilliant P.R. move, HBO has released a "Game of Thrones"-themed rap album to promote the return of the hit series. Big Boi, Wale, Common and others created original songs inspired by the series, paying homage to memorable characters like Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons and the Stark family.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/03/07/stream_hbos_game_of_thrones_mixtape_here/feed/0Watch Brian Williams rap “Rapper’s Delight”http://www.salon.com/2014/02/20/watch_brian_williams_rap_rappers_delight/
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/20/watch_brian_williams_rap_rappers_delight/#commentsThu, 20 Feb 2014 14:43:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13607412Jimmy Fallon continues to churn out viral hit after hit on his first week as "The Tonight Show" host: On Wednesday night, "Tonight" patched together a mash-up of NBC anchor Brian Williams and Lester Holt rapping "Rapper's Delight" with the news. My guess is that the result is about the same as if Williams were to attempt the rap in earnest, which is what makes it especially great.

Emimen, whose name is Marshall Mathers, was promoting his single "Berzerk" from upcoming album "Marshall Mathers LP 2," his eighth studio album. The song will be featured on "Saturday Night Football."

When asked, "What are you most excited about with this new album?" Mathers responded, "Um, nothing."

"Nothing?"

"No."

He elaborated only to explain that the album is a "revisit to the first Marshall Mathers LP."

Mathers then snubbed co-announcer Kirk Herbstreit, saying that if he had a fantasy announcer team he'd have Brent Musburger on it because Musberger's "a legend." If feeling left out, however, Herbstreit didn't let on, saying only, "Not quite to that standard yet."

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/09/08/eminems_awkward_saturday_night_football_interview/feed/4Kanye West announces tour with Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z follows suithttp://www.salon.com/2013/09/06/kanye_west_announce_tour_with_kendrick_lamar_jay_z_follows_suit/
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/06/kanye_west_announce_tour_with_kendrick_lamar_jay_z_follows_suit/#commentsFri, 06 Sep 2013 18:10:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13469977Kanye West has announced that he'll be going on tour this fall, his first solo tour in five years. West will be joined by perhaps the only man in hip-hop whose ego can rival his own, acerbic trash-talker Kendrick Lamar.

The Yeezus Tour starts in Seattle on Oct. 19, stopping at 23 major American and Canadian cities through December.

Jay Z, perhaps feeling a little left out of the club, has announced the North American leg of his Magna Carta World Tour, which will hit 34 stops starting in St. Paul, Minn. on Nov. 30. It will end Jan. 31 in State College, Pa.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/09/06/kanye_west_announce_tour_with_kendrick_lamar_jay_z_follows_suit/feed/2Julian Assange stars in parody rap videohttp://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/julian_assange_stars_in_parody_rap_video/
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/julian_assange_stars_in_parody_rap_video/#commentsMon, 26 Aug 2013 18:50:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13460884For no apparent reason, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has starred in a parody rap video about the Australian federal elections by a duo called Juice Rap News. In it, the elusive Assange, who has been hiding in London's Ecuadorean embassy for a year to avoid extradition, can be seen donning a mullet, singing and dancing with clones of himself. It ... is disturbing:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/julian_assange_stars_in_parody_rap_video/feed/18Coolio is selling his music rights to fund a cookbook serieshttp://www.salon.com/2013/08/21/coolio_is_selling_his_music_rights_to_fund_a_cookbook_series/
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/21/coolio_is_selling_his_music_rights_to_fund_a_cookbook_series/#commentsWed, 21 Aug 2013 14:15:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13454967After a 19-year music career, rapper Coolio is parting with his music, including 1995 hit "Gangsta's Paradise."

The rapper hasn't had a US hit for about 15 years, but he still earns royalties of up to $23,227 a year on his various singles, reports the Guardian. His collection of 123 songs will go up for auction via the Royalty Exchange, predicted to fetch between $134,000 and $225,000.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/08/21/coolio_is_selling_his_music_rights_to_fund_a_cookbook_series/feed/2Michelle Obama releasing hip hop albumhttp://www.salon.com/2013/08/13/michelle_obama_releasing_hip_hop_album/
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/13/michelle_obama_releasing_hip_hop_album/#commentsTue, 13 Aug 2013 15:10:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13446314Okay, sorry, this news is not quite as exciting as it sounds: Michelle Obama is indeed releasing a rap album, but it's called "Songs for a Healthier America,” and she doesn't sing on the track. At all.

The album is part of Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign to fight childhood obesity. Released with the Partnership for a Healthier America and Hip Hop Public Health, the 19-track record features Jordin Sparks, Ashanti, Run DMC, Doug E. Fresh and Monifah (sadly, no Beyoncé). One song is called “U R What You Eat." Another is called “Veggie Luv." This album is going to be awesome.

The news gets even more exciting: Ten of the songs will get music videos, which will be released to various schools around the country. If America is lucky, we might just get another dance or two out of the First Lady:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/08/13/michelle_obama_releasing_hip_hop_album/feed/5Former Milli Vanilli member now makes Electronic Dance Musichttp://www.salon.com/2013/08/05/milli_vanilli_member_now_makes_edm_music/
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/05/milli_vanilli_member_now_makes_edm_music/#commentsMon, 05 Aug 2013 15:50:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13405735Question: What does a disgraced rapper from the 1990s do in 2013?

Answer: Make EDM songs, duh.

In a recent interview with Oprah, Milli Vanilli's Fab Morvan revealed what he's been up to since the rap duo was exposed for lip-synching its music. Morvan's partner, Rob Pilatus, tragically committed suicide in 1998 after battling with drug addiction for years. Morvan, however, was luckier: Determined to not let the shame of his band's failure take over his life, he found solace in a place where so many lost souls do -- in the thumping, dizzying vibes of electronic dance music.

"About 3, 4, years ago I came to Holland for the fashion project," he said. "I have this main project I'm working on, called Fabulous Addiction."

Cole says in a blog post Sunday that he doesn't agree with the recent trend of pressure rappers have faced to apologize when they step over a perceived line, but in this case he feels he went too far in a verse he contributed to Drake's "Jodeci Freestyle."

"To the parents who are fighting through the frustrations that must come with raising a child with severe autism, finding strength and patience that they never knew they had; to the college student with Asperger's syndrome; to all those overcoming autism," Cole wrote. "You deserve medals, not disrespect. I hope you accept my sincere apology."

Cole believes in artistic freedom and says he views envelope pushing in music the same way he does in comedy: "It's going to ruffle some feathers at times."

Rap has a long history of often-intentional offensive lyrics, but special interest groups have successfully used social media to elicit apologies recently after pressuring the companies who partner with them.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/rapper_j_cole_apologizes_for_offensive_autism_lyric_ap/feed/4Kanye West bashes Taylor Swift in leaked tapehttp://www.salon.com/2013/07/18/kanye_west_bashes_taylor_swift_in_leaked_tape/
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/18/kanye_west_bashes_taylor_swift_in_leaked_tape/#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 20:30:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13374987Gawker has released a secret recording, allegedly of Kanye West, in which the rapper berates country star Taylor Swift. In it, he justifies his now-infamous interruption of her acceptance speech during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. According to Gawker's tipster, the tape was "recorded secretly" at a dinner with friends on the same night.

West, who recently admitted that his apology to Swift was really not an apology at all, is heard saying:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/07/18/kanye_west_bashes_taylor_swift_in_leaked_tape/feed/16Chris Brown’s mural upsets L.A. neighborshttp://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/chris_browns_mural_upsets_l_a_neighbors/
http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/chris_browns_mural_upsets_l_a_neighbors/#commentsMon, 13 May 2013 13:52:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13297047Rapper Chris Brown is back in headlines -- this time for a new mural painted on the facade of his Hollywood Hills home. The private street-art has elicited complaints from neighbors and intervention from city officials.

"There are lots of babies, lots of children, and they're literally frightened. It's like devils on the wall — big scary eyes and big scary teeth, and just the whole vibe is not what we're used to," said Patti Negri, president of the Hollywood Dell Civic Assn.

Responding to complaints about the monster art, L.A. city code officials cited Brown for unpermitted and excessive signage and ordered him to remove the art within 30 days. He also faces fines that start at $376 but could rise significantly if he fails to comply.

Los Angeles city ordinances deem it illegal to create murals on private property, but the rapper plans to fight back. "They are trying to suspend the 1st Amendment," Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos told the Times. "They've called animal control. They have sicced parking [enforcement] on him, and now they reached the heights of ridiculousness here. Shame on them."

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/05/13/chris_browns_mural_upsets_l_a_neighbors/feed/10Lil Wayne: “I’m an epileptic, I’m prone to seizures”http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/#commentsFri, 29 Mar 2013 13:02:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13255536After giving friends, family and fans a scare when he was in the ICU for nearly a week, rapper Lil Wayne has commented on the cause of the seizures that almost took his life. TMZ first speculated that the cause of the seizures was an overdose on cough syrup, which functions as an opiate in high doses. But on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, the rapper denied the rumors, attributing them to his epilepsy:

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/lil_wayne_im_an_epileptic_im_prone_to_seizures/feed/4Lil Wayne reportedly released from hospitalhttp://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/lil_wayne_reportedly_released_from_hospital/
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/lil_wayne_reportedly_released_from_hospital/#commentsTue, 19 Mar 2013 15:22:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13245629After spending nearly a week in the Intensive Care Unit of Cedar-Sinai Hospital, a source close to rapper Lil Wayne says he has been released and is in recovery at home.

Sources told the AP that the rapper was treated for seizures, a condition for which he has been hospitalized in the past. TMZ speculated that the recent episode was induced by a drug overdose, and reported that his condition was so critical that the rapper's mother was called upon to make life support decisions.